Apparatus for mixing aeriform fluids



(No Model.)

- J. F; BARKER.-

APPARATUS FOR MIXING AERIFORM FLUIDS.

No. 254,589. Patented Mar. 7,1882.

W'fizess es. Znwen/Zw,

UNITED STATES PATENT OF ICE.

JOHN F. BARKER, OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS.

APPARATUS FOR MIXING AERIFORM FLUIDS.

, SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 254,589, dated March 7, 1882,

Application filed March 26, 1881. Renewed December 19, 1881. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern constant absorption of the vapor from the hy- Be it known that I, JOHN F. BARKER, of drocarbou oil in the generator from day to Springfield, in the county of Hampden, and day. Suppose the generator to have just been State of Massachusetts, have invented a new filled with fresh gasoline, of course the vapor 5 5 and useful Apparatus for Mixing Aeriform absorbed therefrom bythe air passing through Fluids, of which the following is a specificathe generator will be exceedingly rich in cartion and description, reference being had to hon, and could not without adulteration with the accompanying drawings, and to the letters air be successfully used in that condition for and figures of reference marked thereon. .the purposes of illumination, and a large pro- 10 The object of my invention is to mix two portion of air would be required 'to be mixed aeriform fluids together, which are susceptible with it before passing to the burners. Of of combustion when mixed, in any desired course when a large number of burners were proportions which may be predetermined upused a little less air would be required from on and the invention is particularly and esday to day, as the vapor became more exhaust- 1 pecially adapted for the proper and desired ed, until, perhaps, when the generator again admixture of atmospheric air with any light required filling, no air might be'required, or hydrocarbon vapor for the purposes of illumiat least very little. It will readily be seen nation. that this change of admission of air to the For convenience in the present description current of vapor-gas for the purpose of diiu- 20 I shall give the name of vapor-gas to this tion will have been made almost imperceptibly hydrocarbon vapor, which, as is well known, from'day to day; but if now the generator is produced bycharging common atmospheric be filled again with fresh gasoline, a change air with the vapor of any light hydrocarbon will be necessitated from little or no air to the oil,ordinary gasoline being the substance most greatest proportion admitted to dilute the va- 7 5 25 commonly used, and the methods of producing per-gas, so that the conditions of these changes it by forcing common air through any of the in the admission of air for the purpose of diwell-known generators being also well known lution are constantly varying. and understood. ltis also as wellknown that It is the object of my invention to make this vapor-gasas it comes from the generator these changes perfectly automatic, so as to c is much too rich in carbon to produce the best keep the quality of light at each burner perefiect in illumination, and that before it passes fectl y uniform under all circpmstanccswhether to the burners it is necessary to dilute it by the number of burners in use be more or less, mixing with it in proper and suitable proporand whether the vaporgas be more or less rich tions common atmospheric air which has not in carbon. 8 5 been charged with vapor. To do this where Figure 1 represents, in vertical section, one the number of burners consuming this vapormodification of an apparatus containing my gas is being constantly varied in number, and invention, showing its connection with the and yet to maintain a uniform quality of light pipes of a hydrocarbon-vaporburning system; at each burner, has been very difiicult and and Fig. II represents a similar section of an- 40 next to impossible by any apparatus operated other modification, showin gits connec ion with by hand, because a change in the amount of a similar system. 4 air mixed with the vapor is required every In the drawings, A represents a pump for time a change is made in the number of burnforcing atmospheric air through a pipe, B,into ers used in any considerable number, whether and through any ordinary generator conven- 5 more areusedor less. Achangein the amount iently and desirably located, and containing of common air is also required constantly, and the hydrocarbon oil, the vapor from which is although this change may be almost imperabsorbed and carried through the pipe 1 to ceptihle from day to day for a long time, yet burners, where it is consumcdfor illuminating it is in the end very marked, is very necespurposes.. I00 50 sary, and could not be made successfully by At any convenient point in the air-pipe B, I hand, and its necessity is occasioned by the attach or connect a branch pipe, U,which I also air (as to its amount) which passes through the pipe 0 into the pipe 1. The movements of this valve are caused primarily by the air itself after passing through the valve-orifice and into the pipe 1, according as more or less of itis mixed with the hydrocarbon vapor passing through said pipe 1, as hereinafter described. Preferably just above the mixer 3-which is merely an enlargement of the pipe 1, and containing suitable screens and diaphragms to cause the fluids passing through to take a circuitous route in passing a short distance in length, and thereby be more thoroughly commingled, and the arrangement and construction of which is quite well known-I connect a small pipe, 4, with the gas-pipe 1,which pipe 4 extends down to a point beneath a small chamber, 6, and is then supplied with a burnertip at its extremity. Within this chamber 6 is a vessel, 5, to which is connected a pipe, 15, communicating above with the valve-case 9, provided with a partition, 13, through which is avalve-orifice, 11. Within the pipe I5 is a float, 8, to which is attached a rod, 10, extending up through the valve-orifice 11,with a disk, 12, secured to said rod above the orifice.

The burner-pipe 4 is supplied with a cook or valve, by which the flow of vapor-gas from the pipe 1 through the pipe 4 to its burner is controlled, and it will be perceived that this pipe 4 takes the vapor-gas from the pipe 1 after it has been diluted with commo i air. Asufiicient quantity of some fluid which is sufficiently sensitive to heat as to its expansive quality-such as quicksilver-is placed in the vessel 5 to just support the float 8 on its surface, the vessel 5 and apparatus connected therewith being shown in Fig. I. If now the current of common air is forced by the pump A through the pipe B to and through the generator,it is there fully charged with the vapor ot the hydrocarbon oil, and when the burners are opened it will pass through the pipe 1 to the burners, the valve 12 being closed, and the valve 14 being properly adj ustedto permit the desired amount of gas to flow from the pipe 1, through the pipe 4, to the burner beneath the vessel 5, the jet at thatburner is lighted. With the valve 12 closed the vapor-gas passing through the pipe 1 and pipe 4 will be too rich in carbon to serve the best purposes of illumination, and the jet beneath the vessel 5 will give off a superfluous degree of heat which will cause the quicksilver or other fluid in the vessel5 and pipe 15 to expand and raise the float 8 a little, (more or less,) according as the adjustment is made of the valve 14, this movement of the float and the rod 10 connected therewith raising the valve 12 and opening the valve-orifice 11. This openin g of the valve-orifice permits the air from the pump and pipe 0 to pass through into the pipe 1, affdto be mixed thoroughly with the hydrocarbon vapor passing through within the mixer 3, which has the effect of diluting the hydrocarbon vapor and rendering it less rich in carbon, so that the diluted or reduced vapor passes into the pipe 4 to the burner beneath the vessel 5. Of course the effect of this is to reduce the heating quality of the jet beneath the vessel 5, and consequently to cause a corresponding-reduction in the expansion of the fluid in .-the vessel 5, and a corresponding partial closing of the valve-orifice 11 by the slight falling of the valve 12. It the latter falls too much, and causes too little a reduction or dilution of the hydrocarbon vapor by the admission of too little atmospheric air, the vapor-gas, becoming too rich in carbon again, will by an increase of heat in the jetbeneath the vessel again raise the valve'12.

When the valve 14 is properly adjusted to give a jet beneath the vessel 5 of just the proper size and degree of heat the apparatus will be perfectly automatic in its action, and the proper and desired amount of atmospheric air will be admitted through the valve-orifice to dilute the hydrocarbon vapor to give the required illuminating-power toall the burners in use, according as the jet beneath the vessel is adjusted. This adjustment may be madeto any-'degrce of course, and when once made the size and quality of the flame at all the burners will always remain uniform, whether the generator has just been replenished with hydrocarbon oil,or is nearly empty, and little except residuum remains; because, if the vapor is exceedingly poor in carbon, the jet, being deficient in heat, will allow the fluid in the vessel 5 to contract, and the valve to close its orifice and shut oil the atmospheric air, and if the vapor is too rich, as it will be when the generator is just filled, the heat of the governing-jet beneath the vessel 5 will be excessive, the valve will be raised, and more atmospheric air admitted to the vapor-gas, and the jets at the burners will be maintained at a uniform quality.

' It will be seen from the above description that as the pipe 4 communicates with the pipe 1 ata point after the atmospheric air is mixed with the hydrocarbon vapor, the jet beneath the vessel 5, issuing from the pipe 4, furnishes the sample or standard to which the mixture shall be made, and by its own quality in barning keeps that standard uniform.

The chamber 6 around the vessel 5 may be provided with holes for ventilation,if desiredbut its object is to somewhat confine the hen air around the vessel 5, and also to prevent cold currents of air from striking the vessel 5,.

which might tend to cool the vessel sufiiciently to aflect the medium within and cause it to change.

In Fig. 11 is illustrated a method of operating the valve 12 through the medium of air .as an expanding fluid, instead of a. liquid such as quicksilver. When using air as an expanding fluid or medium for operating the valve I use 5 a diaphragm,as shown substantially in Fig. II, in which a is a spherical or spheroidal case, approximately and preferably made in two halves or parts, each provided with a flange, as at c, which being placed together, with the roIouter edge of a flexible diaphragm between them, are bolted together, as shown clearly in Fig. II. The lower end of the valve-rod is secured to this diaphragm, which in the drawings is shown as raised by the heated air in the vesr 5 sel 5 and pipe 15, and thereby raising the valve 12 and opening the orifice 11; but it this diaphragm, although thinvand flexible, be of some metal, and the heat of the governiug-jet be properly applied thereto, the diaphragm will in that case, perhaps, be sufiiciently sensitive as to rise as the metal is expanded, and the valve be raised, in which case the vessel 5will not be required.

It will'thus be seen that the valve is oper- 2 5 ated, and the valve-orifice thereby opened or closed to regulate the flow of atmospheric air through the pipe 0 and into the gas-pipe 1, by the variations in the heat of the flame of the governing-jet, caused by the changes in the conditions of the fluids in the gas-pipe 1 after being mixed.

It is of course evident that the particular form of valve-orifice is immaterial, so long as themovement of the valve is caused by this automatic variation in the flame of the governing-jet, so as to preserve uniformity in the .quality of the light at all the burners supplied with vapor-gas from the pipe 1 under all circnmstances.

It is evident, also, that it is immaterial as to what kind of pump is used to forcethe air into and through the generator to be, charged with the hydrocarbon vapor, or as to what kind of generator is used, inasmuch as the automatic operation of the flame of the governing-jet and the valve have no functional connection with the pump or the generator, and does not depend upon the particular operation of either.

' desired.

Of course it is necessary that the flame at the governing -jet should be burned under a uniform pressure, which of course can be done by using any of the ordinary regulating-burnetc, or by attaching a regulator to the pipe 4.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new isp 1. In an apparatus formixin g aerifortn fluids, a pipe through which one of the fluids passes to the mixing-pipe, provided with a valve-orifice, in combination with a valve to increase or diminish the opening of said orifice, and connectedwith a suitable medium susceptible of being expanded and contracted by the vario able heat of a flame applied thereto, whereby the said valve is operated by the expansion and contraction of said medium, according as the heat in said flame is increased or diminished by any variation in the conditions of the fluids in the pipe after being mixed, substantially as described.

2. The combination,in an apparatus for mixing aeriform fluids, of a pipe through which one of the fluids passes to the mixing-pipe, pro- 80 vided with a valve-orifice, in combination with a valve to increase or diminish the opening of said orifice, and connected with a suitable medium susceptible of being expanded and contracted by the application of diflerent degrees 8 5 of heat, a vessel to contain said medium, a chamber surrounding said vessel to equalize the heat, and a burner attached to a branch from the pipe containing the mixed fluids, and adapted by its location to have the heat of 0 its jet applied to said vessel, substantially as described.

JOHN F. BARKER.

'Witnesses:

Guns. H. Woon, T. A. Ounrrs. 

